10 February 2010

I bitch and moan about politicians a lot, but I must say that I really love my state Senator Jolie Justus.

She's got moxie.

Last week she was the lone sensible voice in the Senate against piling yet more restrictions on adult businesses. Even the proponent of the legislation — a petulant Republican Christian crusader from Lee's Summit, Senator Matt Bartle — conceded it will kill jobs.

The legislation will kill jobs. During a recession. While unemployment is already stratospheric.

But the idea that naked ladies might be touching Missourians after midnight torments Senator Bartle to such a boiling point that he's forced to abandon his legislative principles of individual freedom and less intrusive government.

The legislation would ban strip clubs and adult video stores within 1,000 feet of homes, schools, churches, libraries, parks and day cares. It also would ban nudity, require semi-nude employees to stay 6 feet from customers and force adult businesses to close by midnight.

In dissent, Justus noted that Missouri adult entertainment businesses employ 3,000 people and pay $4.5 million in taxes.

This week Justus offered a resolution to express the opinion of the Missouri General Assembly that the US Congress should repeal the deceptively labeled "Don't Ask Don't Tell" law.

Justus isn't afraid to make it personal. As she writes on her blog, freshmeat:

Finally, I want to tell you about Shonda Garrison. Shonda grew up in Branson, Missouri and enrolled in the U.S. Army right out of high school. She worked hard and advanced quickly. In the fall of 1990 she, like tens of thousands of other Americans, shipped out to Saudi Arabia and spent almost a year in the desert fighting for this country. Shonda loves her country and wanted to make a career in the military, but after 8 years of service, she had to make the agonizing decision to leave because she could no longer serve in silence. Shonda is gay and under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, she could not enter a committed relationship with the person she loves for fear of losing her career. Shonda Garrison is my partner and she supports the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.